Assistant Director of Annual Fund and Advancement Communications

Assistant Director of Annual Fund and Advancement Communications

The Assistant Director of Annual Fund and Advancement Communications plays an integral role in driving donor and revenue growth for the Annual Fund by developing stories, materials, and solicitations for direct mail, phone, email, text, and video. This position also supports donor retention efforts through personal solicitation, pledge fulfillment programs, efforts to secure monthly recurring gifts, and student stewardship initiatives. The position involves extensive copywriting, project management, and direct donor solicitation and requires superb written and oral communication skills.

This position reports to the Director of Annual Fund and Advancement Communications, under the Executive Director of Development Leadership and Strategies, and works on campus, interfacing with staff, students, and faculty.

Reed College offers an exceptional benefits package, including comprehensive medical and dental insurance options for you and your dependents, 403(b) retirement plan with 10% employer contribution (after one year of service), educational assistance for employees and their children, 22 days of paid vacation, paid holidays, half-day Fridays in the summer, and many other campus amenities. This is a full-time role with typical work hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with a one-hour unpaid lunch.

The starting salary for this position is $53,500-58,500. Pay offers are contingent upon experience and are determined through an internal pay assessment. This is an exempt position in grade 5.

Who You Are

• You have superb written and oral communication skills and can connect with a variety of audiences with clarity, crispness, and persuasiveness
• You have a proven track record of writing effective and impactful content. Please note that we do not utilize generative AI tools
• You are an exceptional project manager. You are organized, you sweat the details, and you always meet your deadlines
• You understand the importance of making data-driven decisions and are comfortable reviewing and interpreting data to inform your work
• You are a collaborative and relational team member and work well with a variety of people
• You are proactive in generating new ideas and identifying opportunities to enhance fundraising and stewardship strategies
• You are comfortable receiving feedback on your writing
• You are a systems thinker and always look for ways to get work done efficiently and without errors
• You prefer a team environment at work, rather than working alone. You don’t hesitate to roll up your sleeves and pitch in
• You enjoy working across a variety of projects and checking the boxes off on your ongoing and interesting to-do list

What You’ll Do

• Annual Fund Broad-Based Strategy & Execution

• Create tailored direct mail, email, and text appeal content for segmented Annual Fund audiences

• Lead strategy and execution of Evergreen (monthly) Society donor renewal efforts

• Help oversee Phonathon fundraising activities to support Annual Fund goals

• Oversee the implementation of multi-touch pledge fulfillment efforts throughout the year

• Prepare recipient data for direct mail appeals and review performance data to inform future strategy and storytelling

• Donor & Stewardship Engagement

• Create content for Annual Fund stewardship pieces, including but not limited to the flagship end-of-fiscal-year stewardship piece, leadership acknowledgment letter templates, Evergreen Society print and digital pieces, videos, and web pages

• Co-lead the student stewardship program, including recruitment, training, script development, and performance evaluation

• Lead student engagement efforts to generate content and artwork for fundraising and stewardship initiatives

• Personal Solicitations

• Personally solicit 20-25 annual giving prospects per week throughout the year through a variety of channels based on review of the gift table and the number of individuals who are appropriate for direct solicitation

• Document information in the database to ensure proper recording and tracking of results

• Work closely with the team in charge of the All for Reed program to ensure alignment in solicitation strategies

• Minimum Qualifications

• 3 years of experience working in development, communications, or a related field

• Preferred Qualifications

• Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of development and fundraising with a detailed understanding of annual giving programs, such as direct mail, phonathon, and personal solicitation programs

• Experience in personally soliciting gifts

• Experience supervising staff, students, or volunteers

• Proven track record of closely tracking and interpreting data

• Conversant in relevant and contemporary technologies and how they can be used in support of solicitation programs and to measure and manage results

• Ability to guide a successful broad-based messaging platform with a mix of print and digital electronic in support of an annual giving program